An Easter Egg or a Hot Tomato?
by Phoebe Miller
Summary: A 901 Coda


_**This is a less serious coda for 901 that mostly avoids the possible side effects of the sensory deprivation tank (much like the show will probably do). Enjoy.  
**_

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"She betrayed you." Danny didn't look at Steve. He was done trying to convince him of anything. How things had gone from full scale concern to hostility so quickly was a mystery. He'd always stretched himself to the limit caring for his partner.

Tonight, something had snapped.

Steve glared in Danny's direction. "I don't need to be reminded."

He watched while Danny paced.

Running a hand through his hair, Danny muttered. "I don't get it. You're a great guy."

"It happens."

"To you a lot. I could list them all...but I won't..." Danny walked away mid sentence.

"Thanks, buddy." Steve called after him. Still in the ridiculous red suit, he leaned against the Camaro. Too tired for this argument. "Feels awesome to have that pointed out. _Again_."

"Hey," Lou jogged to the pair, holding a duffel. "This is all I got. Extra golf clothes."

"Golf clothes, Lou?" Steve leaned toward the bag, peering in the thin unzippered line.

"Anything's better than that cheap Britney Spears knockoff you've got on."

Realizing he had no choice, Steve relented. "Thanks, Lou."

"You're welcome." Lou eyed Danny, whispering to Steve. "He okay?"

"What do _you_ think?"

"Hell, I _know_. I'm the one who watched over him for you. I just hoped he'd mellowed a bit."

"This is Danny we're talking about, right?"

"You know what I mean." Lou gave him his best "dad" look and continued. "If I hadn't held him back, he woulda stormed the place before we even saw -" Lou stopped, disgusted.

"You can say her name."

"She doesn't deserve a breath of my air."

"Lou - we don't know -"

"No, don't even." Lou held up his hand.

"I'm not defending her."

"Just no - not tonight. Tonight I'm thankful my friends are alright."

Steve's gaze wandered to Danny who had walked a few yards away, looking out over the water. Breeze lifting his hair. Lights flickering off his face so Steve couldn't read it.

"See, you know I'm right."

"What Lou?" Steve frowned, realizing he'd missed something Lou'd said.

"If something happens to you, Danny feels it. We all love you and worry about you, but he knew."

"Knew what?"

"When things went south. Danny knew."

"What am I supposed to do with that?"

"Handle him with care, man. He just might break next time." Lou squeezed Steve's shoulder. "You two okay to get home?"

"Yea, we're fine."

"Well, I know that's a lie but at least you tried. Good night. Take care of him."

"Good night, Lou." Steve waved as he watched Lou climb into his SUV. To go home to Renee.

Steve's chest tightened with loss, jealousy and sadness. He didn't have anyone. Not even Eddie. Junior had offered to dogsit. He and Tani were the first to leave the scene. Then a jazzed Jerry. Steve wasn't looking forward to an empty house. The ocean so big it felt like it would sweep him away on those most lonely nights. Sometimes, he wouldn't mind if it did.

"Hey babe." Danny materialized beside him. "You gonna change here? I bet Lou picked you out something nice. Maybe that Kermit the frog outfit? The red suit is more flattering. You should save it for your next girlfriend. Since when don't we have go bags in the trunk anyway?"

Steve let the babbling wash over him. Danny's voice was soothing, an anchor he needed right then.

"Yea, I need to get this off." Steve was suddenly very uncomfortable.

"I can help if you - "

Face contorted with a fair amount of fatigue and frustration, Steve grunted. "You've helped enough, thanks."

Danny recoiled like he'd been slapped.

"No, hey," Steve reached for his friend but Danny'd moved away, stricken. "I didn't mean it like that. Danny...hey... You saved me. I'm sorry. God, I can't even-"

Wiping his hands on his pants, Danny kept his distance. "You've always sucked at thanks yous."

"You're right." Steve shrugged.

"Please take that off. I can't take you seriously."

Steve ducked behind the Camaro. "Fuck."

"Need a hand?"

No response except for shuffling. Then - "Shit."

Rolling his eyes, Danny slipped into the shadows. "Let me help," he moved closer, "Use me for balance."

"Zipper's stuck." One hand squeezed Danny's shoulder hard.

Danny felt the tremors like they were his own. "You okay?"

"Yea." Steve fumbled with the zipper but the material had bunched a little, catching the metal teeth.

"Hold still, you goof, you're liable to get stuck in this. I'm gonna have to cut you out of it." Danny moved them both to a small pool of light. He pulled the suit tight and tugged on the zipper. It moved quickly down.

"Ow, stop." Steve grabbed Danny's hand.

"What? You alright?"

"Be careful, it pinched."

"Sorry tough guy, I can barely see."

"Keep going, Danny. Slowly."

Their eyes met. A thought ran through Danny's head. He focused on the zipper instead.

"Yes, I like it slow."

Their eyes met. It took Danny a few seconds to remember how to breathe.

"I said that out loud?"

"Apparently - unless the cocoon gave me super powers."

Shaking his head, Danny held up one hand. "Stop, please. Don't even go there."

"You're the super hero anyway."

"What?" Danny frowned.

"You sense when I'm in trouble. You always come for me."

Danny sighed and helped Steve tug his arms out of the suit, ignoring his rambling.

"You're the only one who -"

"Babe -" Danny turned Steve so more light shined on his chest, revealing already colorful bruising.

"Kang and his men got a surprise."

Danny wasn't impressed. "Here, put this shirt on."

It was a hot pink and white striped number and fit a little loose, and lucky for Steve who wasn't wearing any boxers.

"Commando for the Commander." Danny giggled.

"Hey, it's laundry day and they must have stripped me."

"Greer." The word came out more like a growl than a name.

"Danny, can it wait til tomorrow, please?"

"Yea sure whatever. Like it's not a big deal. She just betrayed you and the entire country and -"

Steve pleaded with his eyes. Danny dug into the bag for the shorts, chewing on his bottom lip to keep from talking.

"I'm tired, Danny. I need to go home. Shower. Sleep. I just wanna forget and feel normal, okay?"

Steve pulled on a pair of purple shorts that hung low on his hips to the point they practically fell off. He really wished he had a belt. Tufts of hair greeted Danny before Steve tugged the comical shirt down.

"Lou's not gonna want them back now."

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"Another man's junk in his trunk." Danny found himself very amusing. "That outfit deserves to be burned."

"You're right about that, partner." Steve smiled, studying Danny.

Danny smiled back, the tension fading. "You look like an Easter egg."

"Better than a tomato."

Hand on his chin, Danny feigned deep thought. "Hmmm...that's a tough one."

Steve laughed and clapped Danny on the back. "Let's go home, buddy."

"I gotta stop at my place. Grab a few things."

"I'm alright. You don't need to stay. I feel fine besides being tired and a little sore. Nothing a beer won't fix."

Danny whirled around, hand on Steve's chest. "First off - no beer. You've been drugged with who knows what. Second - you need to eat something. And third - I'm not letting you outta my sight for the next week."

"A whole week? Really?"

"Try me."

Steve gave in, and Danny didn't comment further.

The drive was silent except for the radio, which Danny let Steve pick. They spent about five minutes at Danny's place. He always kept a bag packed these days. Halfway home, Steve decided he'd had enough.

"You gotta stop thinking so much."

Danny slid his hands around the steering wheel, exhaling loudly when the light changed to red.

Steve put his hand on Danny's arm. "I'm sorry. Things got out of control."

Danny tensed. Steve kept talking.

"You were right. Hell, you're always right."

Danny chuckled as he merged into traffic.

"You can quote me." Steve continued. "Throw it in my face. Remind me every time."

"I'm not looking for validation, Steve. I just want my best friend alive. Vital organs intact. Blood on the inside where it belongs. Sanity intact."

"I want the same things, Danny. That's why -"

"Don't say that's why you come up with these crazy plans. So none of us get hurt. Fuck you." Danny smashed the steering wheel, honking the horn. "How would you feel if it was me?"

Steve closed his eyes, hand falling onto Danny's leg. "I know what it's like to wait. To wonder if you're gonna be ok. I know! I had to cut you open, for gods sake. Then, I paced that waiting room all the while pretending to be strong for the others. Don't you ever think I don't care."

"Well, good for you. Welcome to the club. It sucks." Danny parked the car.

Steve got out and walked to the front door, not realizing Danny hadn't followed til he was halfway there.

Both hands still on the wheel, Danny stared straight ahead.

"Danny? Buddy?"

Danny didn't move.

Steve went back to the Camaro, pausing before opening Danny's door. "Come on."

Getting no reply, he grabbed the bag from the back, slung it over his shoulder and tried again. "You coming?"

Steve realized Danny was crying and his knees went a little weak. "Aw man, I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing." Danny's voice was soft. No anger.

"Okay, sure. Will you please come inside with me?"

Danny wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, agreeing with a nod.

"Good." Steve waited as Danny climbed out, shutting the car door. "I've got leftover pizza from that new place you love."

"You tried it?" Danny perked up a little.

"Sure, you said it was good."

"Thanks for saving me some."

"You're lucky Junior didn't steal it. Or Lou."

"You really need to teach your house guests better manners."

Steve relaxed. This was real. This was normal. "I know, I know. You get first dibs."

"That's right. See how well I have you trained?"

They laughed, but Steve still had this nagging worry he couldn't shake. "We okay?"

Danny tilted his head, eyes showing surprise at the question before melting into love. "Always."

They ate in silence until Danny wiped his mouth and pushed away from the table. "Thank you."

He folded his napkin into a flower, clearly avoiding Steve's gaze. "What you said earlier - were you serious?"

Steve picked at the pizza, eating the cheese first, talking with his mouth full. "What did I say?"

"The slow thing."

Feeling suddenly warm, Steve put down his slice, but didn't answer.

"Were you serious? Or just messing with me?"

"Both?"

"Ok - messing with me it is." Danny got up, gathering their plates.

"Hey, I'm not done." Steve grabbed his plate.

"Sorry." Danny let go and stepped away, heading for the kitchen.

He didn't hear Steve follow him.

At the sink, Danny steadied himself and then turned on the water. He jumped when two very warm arms snaked through his and turned off the faucet before pulling him into a hug.

"Thank you for having my back. Knowing you were out there. You kept me from losing it."

Danny sighed and turned in Steve's embrace to face him. He waited expectantly for his friend to finish. Because he knew there was more. Nothing was perfect. Especially a SEAL with a savior complex.

"I can't promise I won't do it again."

Nodding Danny leaned against the cool, hard edge of the sink. "Well, it's good I have a thing for tortured romances then, huh?"

Steve's nose twitched and his face lit up. "Yea, we're gonna be fine, partner. Just fine."

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 _ **The end...for now. I'm hoping to add more codas... Thanks, as always, for reading.**_


End file.
